Birmingham-Southern College

Before the end of each spring semester, there is a special awards ceremony that recognizes students and organizations that have demonstrated leadership or academic excellence over the last year. After the ceremony, everyone meets out on the Alumni Plaza for a picnic and live music provided by the BSC Jazz Band.

Each year on the last day of class, seniors go to the bell tower on the academic quad and ring the bells to signify the end of their college journey.

On graduation day, each senior is allowed to pick a special person to present them with their cap. Family members, professors, or friends ceremonially cap them to signify the special bond that has helped them get through college.

Dream Café is a special event that is held during Alumni Reunion Weekend that features acoustic music and other performances. It serves as a fundraiser for the service-learning and leadership studies programs.

A miniature fall version of SoCo, E-Fest is usually a chance for students to enjoy free music after their first big stint of school during the fall. It's a free concert and a great way to relax during the fall.

Each spring, fraternities and sororities get together to compete on the Quad in field games such as tug of war and pickup football games. Each fraternity and sorority is scored on each event, and there is a final winner chosen at the end of the day.

Every year when the pledging season comes to a close and male pledges get a bid for a fraternity, the whole ceremony is followed by a huge party. In recent years, with the completion of New Fraternity Row, more space has given way to even more raucous behavior.

Every Halloween, neighborhood kids are invited to participate in a Halloween celebration involving a haunted house, carnival-style games, and a costume contest. Sororities and fraternities set up booths for the kids, and other organizations serve as chaperones and playmates for the kids.

Honors Day is held each spring and is a culmination of the work done by seniors and other students throughout the year. Students give presentations all throughout the day that were sponsored by faculty members. Presentations range from biological studies to art exhibitions.

Before classes begin each fall, new students participate in a convocation where they ceremonially sign the Honor Pledge, and assert that they will follow it in the classroom and elsewhere on campus.

I*Jam is a recent tradition added to the BSC arsenal of musical festivities. This one-night event includes a hand-selected lineup of independent acts and is usually held in the old Simpson schoolhouse, now known as the Simpson building. The strange venue makes for an all-out party with a variety of people.

In January of each academic year, every student has the option of taking only one course or participating in an internship or study-abroad opportunity. The interim term is modeled after European institutions such as Cambridge and Oxford, which offer a special term for in-depth study.

Each year, around Greek formal time, the SGA hosts a Christmas party that features music, dancing, and optional formal attire. The party is open to everyone and is one opportunity for independents to go to a formal, as well.

SoCo is BSC's two-night concert series that is a spring celebration of youth and entertainment. Formerly known as Southern Comfort, the festival name was recently shortened to “SoCo” in an effort to disassociate the event with the brand of liqueur that shares its name. Past guests have included 17th Floor, Sister Hazel, the North Mississippi All Stars, and Tonic.

In the fall of every year, on one of the first nights after classes have started, the cafeteria caters a welcome-back dinner where students, faculty, and staff are invited to eat dinner with the entire campus community. The president gives his first address of the year to welcome students back to the Hilltop.